


Hard to Shop For

by Ononymous



Series: Undertale Anniversary Requests 2017 [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-19
Updated: 2017-10-19
Packaged: 2019-01-17 07:31:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12360690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ononymous/pseuds/Ononymous
Summary: Frisk's birthday is coming up, and Chara wants to find the perfect gift. If only it was that easy.





	Hard to Shop For

**Author's Note:**

> Original pitch: Chara wondering what to buy Frisk for their birthday.

"Good afternoon. Can I help you, miss?"

Chara sighed as their fists clenched behind their back. Let it go. This gentleman wasn't to know. There was business to attend to.

"Greetings," they said, "I have... a friend. Their birthday is in a couple of weeks."

"Oh, and is your friend the same age as you?"

"...in a manner of speaking."

"Well then, Tommy's Top Toys and Trinkets is the best place for you to get something for them!"

"The thing is... I suppose I owe them. They're easy to please. I could make a macaroni picture and they'd love it. But they did something for me. For my whole family, really. I thought it was impossible. I am a much better person for it. At least one time, I'd like to get something truly special."

If he was put off by their words, he didn't show it. "I'd be glad to help! Now, the important question: Do you know what they like?"

Chara thought hard. How could it be so hard to understand what someone wanted after literally being inside their head?

"Let me see... they are very athletic for their age. Very agile. I think they've cultivated a habit of dodging."

"Hmm. Well how about some new trainers? It's not our specialty, but we have a few types here in our sports department, and my cousin Shawn happens to run a shoe shop down the street if nothing suits."

"My parents are already getting them shoes, among other things. They say they need the practice of picking appropriate footwear."

"Alright then!" said Tommy, not put off by the odd reason. "Hey, haven't I seen you in here before, getting soft toys and art supplies? Was that for your friend?"

"The soft toys were for my brother. Truth be told I don't know if he's into them anymore, but I didn't realise I would get a chance to celebrate his birthday until short notice, so I had to fall back on an old reliable. The art supplies were for myself."

"Alrighty then. Well take your time and think about- heeeeeey, I think I've got something. One moment."

He retreated down an aisle. Chara eyed the action figures. Frisk sometimes played with them, but normally when Papyrus was babysitting them and brought his collection. At least if they were obligated to get him anything, that would be easy. Tommy returned with a box.

"You want to express your friendship? How about matching friendship lockets?"

He opened the box. Two cheap looking heart-shaped lockets, painted a tacky gold colour, each with "Best Friends Forever" written in an electric blue colour. Chara instinctively clutched their chest.

"I- No- No, I, I don't think that will do." they choked. Slightly disappointed, Tommy closed the box.

"Well, what else do they like?"

"Sometimes they borrow my books. Perhaps I could help them start a collection?"

"Ooh, I like that idea! Follow me."

Chara obliged, following him past the action figures, past the jigsaw puzzles ("Got a huge online order, had to restock!") and past cars and trains, and into the book aisle.

"Now then, what kind of books do they normally borrow off you? Fairy Tales? Joke books? Young wizard adventures?"

" _The Histories._ "

"History books? It's nice to see kids getting serious about education."

"No, _The Histories_. By Herodotus. Or _War and Peace_. I believe they are reading _Things Fall Apart_ right now."

Tommy raised an eyebrow.

"Aren't those books a little, well, mature for a child?"

Chara felt annoyed at being patronised. "They went through a reading phase a while back. They already read a lot of children's stuff in the librarby-"

"You mean the library?"

"Uh, yes. But they've read everything there and so they've moved on. My brother and I did something similar. Reading can help the time go by."

"Well, I have to admire your... commitment. Unfortunately we won't have those kind of books." Tommy stroked his chin. "I hate to ask, but what else-"

Chara sighed in exasperation. "People. That's the problem I have. They're at their best and happiest when spending time with people. They don't need toys or books to do that, they'll make friends and hang out with monsters and-"

"Monsters? Oh, I might have something!"

"No, I didn't mean-"

But he fled the scene again. A dull flush amplified Chara's rosy cheeks. This was a mistake. They should leave and maybe ask-

They stumbled backwards and fell over at what came round the corner. A white furry face with scarlet red eyes, sharp teeth arranged into a snarl and wicked looking horns, atop the clothes Tommy had been wearing.

"Raaaaaarrr! Got ya good, didn't I? Maybe they'll like to do this."

The dull flush ratcheted up to a burning heat as Chara tried to suppress the slightly sick feeling they had. Meanwhile Tommy took the mask off.

"You," they began carefully, "you don't happen to know what happened at Ebott, do you?"

"What, Mount Ebott? Can't say that I do. Running this shop is a full time job, I don't check the news. Why do you ask?"

"It's... nothing. Look, I'll have a think about what you've offered me, okay?"

"Okay. Have a great day, miss!"

Chara marched outside without another glance at him, slamming the door behind them. Once they were certain they were alone, they kicked a trash can. The loud clang did nothing to calm them down. This was stupid. That man just didn't get it. Reminding them of their biggest mistake. Making fun of their family. A small voice of reason tried to say there was no way he could have known, but they were in no mood to listen.

"Why is this so hard?! You know them, right? Start thinking!"

They probably should have done that to begin with. They'd been thinking of Frisk as a child. And in many ways, they weren't. Not a normal one at least. All three of them were weird in their own way. Gone through experiences nobody, human or monster, could have predicted. Asriel had gotten the brunt of it. So much damage to work through, and it was entirely their fault, no matter how often he insisted to the contrary. However he did seemed pleased enough at the soft toys they had bought him. While he was good at putting on a mask these days, both Chara and Frisk could pierce it with ease, and on that day there had been nothing to pierce. And Chara themselves had stewed in their rage for so long they hadn't even recognised what they were when they first woke up. That anger still festered at their heart, try as they might to get rid of it or pretend it wasn't there.

Frisk, though. Their first run wasn't clean, but Chara had sensed the remorse each time they hadn't figured out how to talk their opponent down. Their surge of determination to avoid that again had cowed their own instincts to dominate each situation. In spite of everything, it was still them. Of the three, they were the most childlike. That's why the toy shop had felt appropriate. But Frisk just didn't have that many toys. They spent time with their friends and family, that was how they played. Knowing their friends were happy made them happy, and Chara was at a loss as to how to express that. And Frisk's two greatest wishes with regards to friends had come true by their own hands.

And then it came to them. It was so simple. They had been overthinking the whole situation. They headed to the supermarket.

* * *

"Oh, wow! Thanks, Asriel!"

The young monster found himself in a hug so fast he bleated in surprise, but he returned it in kind. Frisk's brand new watch with a built-in compass was clutched in their hand. Eventually Asriel somehow squirmed out of the hug so he could breathe again. The four other people in the room watched as Frisk put the watch on immediately. Their parents would have helped, but the strap was too tiny for their large hands. Instead they looked respectfully impressed as the watch found its new home and oh look it goes with that jumper they're wearing.

"That was very thoughtful, Asriel." said Toriel. "And you came up with it all by yourself!"

"Yeah!" he beamed.

"Now then, Chara?" said Asgore. "Do you have a present for Frisk?"

Everyone looked at them. It was sort of uncomfortable being on the spot, but they had committed to this. They were determined to see it through.

"I do. One moment."

Chara walked past the large cake on the table, and the Dreemurrs heard them go up the stairs and into their room. A minute later they came back down again.

"I thought long and heard about this. I could not think of anything to get you. I, I don't know, I wanted to express what you did for me. For Asriel too. I know I'm still aloof, but I hope this shows I care, and that on some level, I am happy for what you have done."

They handed it over to Frisk. A large sheet of paper, on which three large figures constructed from different coloured macaroni was glued onto it. The palest macaroni had been used to give the middle figure long and floppy looking ears. Chara had signed it in the corner.

Chara was even less prepared for the hug than Asriel had been, and felt even more choked. To their own surprise, Frisk was actually sobbing a little. They were tears of joy.

Yeah, it was a dumb obvious present. But Frisk was a dumb obvious kid, so it fit.

**Author's Note:**

> Original Pastebin Version: https://pastebin.com/j72g3CFh
> 
> Let me know what you think, and thanks for reading!


End file.
